Snow melter



SNOW MELTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mw Q E. S. PHILBROOK ALTIIAI Filed Sept. 5, 1961 July Z3, 1963 July 23, 1963 E. s. PHILBRooK 3,098,478

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I1' dif ITW/e United States Patent O 3,098,478 SNOW MELTER Earle S. Ihilbroolr, 392 Wibird St., Portsmouth, N.H. Filed Sept. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 136,245 8 Claims. (Cl. 126-3435) This invention relates to apparatus for melting snow, especially snow which has been scooped up from a street surface or the like. By using the hereinafter described apparatus to melt snow from the `streets instead of trucking it off to some more or less distant dumping place, the snow is disposed of on the spot and the resultant water escapes down the nearest sewer opening.

It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus by the use of which hot combustion gases are produced and are directed into contact with the snow itself to hasten the melting process. The apparatus is preferably mounted on wheels so as to be readily movable along a street when in operation. The apparatus includes a large container and baffles or vanes arranged to deflect and direct the flow of combustion gases from a suitable burner.

For a more complete understanding o-f the invention reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which FIGURE l is a longitudinal sectional view, on lthe line 1-1 of FIGURE 2, of apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary isometric View of some of the ilues under the snow container;

FIGURE 6 is an elevation, on a smaller scale, of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 1 to 4, together with auxiliary apparatus and a snow loader; and

FIGURE 7 is an elevation similar to FIGURE 6 but of a modified form of apparatus and equipment.

Apparatus embodying the invention preferably includes a chassis 10 on which is mounted a metal tank 12, a furnace 14, a blower y16, and a fuel tank 18 (FIGURE 6). Additional apparatus such as a power unit for operating the blower 16 may be mounted on the chassis 10 but is preferably carried on another chassis 2t) (FIG- URE 6) or on a truck 22 (FIGURE 7). Such apparatus comprises an electric generator 24, a prime mover 26 to drive it, and a fuel supply 28 for the prime mover.

The tank 12 is shown in more detail in FIGURES l to 5. It is made with a false floor 30 above a oor 32 which with the side and end walls of the tank form a compartment 36 for combustion gases which are blown into the compartment through an opening 38 in the rear wall of the tank 12 by a burner 41B within the furnace 14. Fuel for the burner is supplied `from the fuel tank 18 and combustion is promoted *by the blower 16 to which the burner 48 is attached. The interior of the furnace 14 may tbe lined with refractory material not shown except `for a ring 42 surrounding the opening 38. A relief valve 44 is provided on the furnace 14 to prevent excess back-pressure from building up in the furnace if the escape channels for gases in the tank 10` become blocked. The false iioor 30 has rows and columns of -square apertures 46 arranged in a checkerboard array. The door 32 has a similar array of apertures 48, these being offset toward the rear Iwith respect to the apertures 46 in the `false floor 30. From the forward edge of each aperture 48 a bale plate 50 slopes forward and upward Ito the for-ward edge of the corresponding aperture 46 in the floor 30. Owing to the checkerboard array of the apertures 48 and the upper apertures 46, the rows and :columns of the baflies 50 are staggered as indicated in FIGURE 5. The upper ends of the `strips 50 extend Patented July 23, 1963 "ice upward above the false oor 30 and then down again to the floor, forming small gables 52 above the squares of the Hoor between the apertures 46 so that the falseV iloor 30 presents no horizontal areas, except at its margins, for snow to pile up on, so that the snow in the tank rests almost entirely on inclined surfaces.

Below the oor 32 is a shallow container 54 to receive water resulting from the snow melted above the false floor 30. At the corners of the water container 54 are holes 56 opening into sumps 60. Each sump has a discharge hole y62 in its bottom normally closed by a hollow lball 64 which acts as a float valve so that water may escape through the sumps 60, but not gas.

Rising from Ithe iloor 30 are the side walls and forward end walls of an open top wire cage 66 which walls are spaced inward from the walls of the tank 12. The wire mesh walls do not extend up as high as the tops of the tank walls but are provided with imperforate extensions 68 the upper edges of which are on a level with fthe upper edges of the -tank walls, the Aspaces between these top edges 4being bridged by a horizontal cover 70 which with the extensions 68 and the tank walls forms an inverted channel 72 extending around the top of the wire cage. If all of the apertures 46 in the false floor 30 are covered with snow, the combustion gases from the burner 40, after being deflected upward into `contact with the snow blocking the apertures 46, can escape through openings 74 and 76 at the forward end of the tank 12 into the spaces between the tank walls and cage walls. In the space at the front end of the tank are deilectors or vanes 78 which are inclined -to deect upwardly owing gases inward toward the snow within the cage. Some of the gases which pass through the opening 76 will flow rearward along the side rwalls of the cage. Deectors or vanes 80 are provided in these spaces to turn these streams toward the interior of the cage so as to impinge on the snow therein. Some of the gases Will rise into the inverted channel 72. Deectors or vanes 82 are provided in the channel to turn the stream downward. Deflectors or vanes 84 are provided on the solid rear wall lof the cage to deflect gases into the interior of the cage. Within the rear end of the tank is a flue 86 with vents 88 at the top. Excess pressure of gas can escape into this flue from the compartment 36 through a relief valve 90.

Snow may be loaded into the `tank i12 by any suitable or convenient means. For example, as indicated in FIG- URE 6, .a snow loader 92 of a kind often seen on city streets in winter can be coupled to the chassis 10 by a coupling 94 so that the snow melter and its equipment is towed along with the snow loader.

Another way of supplying the melter with snow is to incorporate in the melter a belt-type loader 96 as a part thereof (FIGURE 7), a truck 22 being hitched to the rear end of Ithe melter to push it along as the loader 96 picks up snow.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for melting snow, comprising a chassis, an open-top tank on said chassis, said tank having side and end walls, a floor having drain apertures and a false floor above said oor, said -walls and iloors enclosing a compartment having an opening at one end, means on said chassis for `supplying through said opening a stream of hot gases, said false floor having a series of rows of' apertures ltherethrough in staggered array, an inclined baffle plate for each said aperture extending upward from said oor to said false floor beneath each said aperture in the false oor and inclined away from said opening, and means cooperating with said floor for draining water resulting from melting snow without permitting the escape of gases from the bottom of the apparatus.

3 2. Apparatus as described in claim 1, said draining means including a shallow container under said floor into which said floor apertures open, and a sump with a float valve therein lbelow and communicating with -said with said compartment through said opening, and a burner arranged to project fuel and air into said furnace.

7. Apparatus as described in claim 6, and a relief valve on `said furnace.

8. Apparatus as described in claim 1, said inclined lbaille plates projecting above said false oor and bending Aback to form` gables on the false floor Iwhereby the snow in the tank will rest almost entirely on inclined surfaces.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 226,222' Close Apr. 6, 1880 *540,026 Piatti May 28, 1895 1,204,400 Branringer Nov. 14, 1916 1,665,503 McClave et al. Apr. 10, 1928 2,471,733 Fiduccia May 31, 1949 

1. APPARATUS FOR MELTING SNOW, COMPRISING A CHASSIS, AN OPEN-TOP TANK ON SAID CHASSIS, SAID TANK HAVING SIDE AND END WALLS, A FLOOR HAVING DRAIN APERTURES AND A FALSE FLOOR ABOVE SAID FLOOR, SAID WALLS AND FLOORS ENCLOSING A COMPARTMENT HAVING AN OPENING AT ONE END, MEANS ON SAID CHASSIS FOR SUPPLYING THROUGH SAID OPENING A STREAM OF HOT GASES, SAID FALSE FLOOR HAVING A SERIES OF ROWS OF APERTURES THERETHROUGH IN STAGGERED ARRAY, AN INCLINED BAFFLE PLATE FOR EACH SAID APERTURE EXTENDING UPWARD FROM SAID FLOOR TO SAID FALSE FLOOR BENEATH EACH SAID APERTURE IN THE FALSE FLOOR AND INCLINED AWAY FROM SAID OPENING, AND MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID FLOOR FOR DRAINING WATER RESULTING FROM MELTING SNOW WITHOUT PERMITTING THE ESCAPE OF GASES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE APPARATUS. 